


The Pirate and the Boy Wizard

by craterdweller



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 06:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2057769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/pseuds/craterdweller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Giles is hit by an age regression curse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pirate and the Boy Wizard

It had been a little over two weeks. Two weeks since they had stumbled upon the cursed dagger. Well, stumbled upon wasn’t exactly true. They had been led down a rosy path by a certain sorcerer that worshipped Chaos.  A piece of information that they hadn’t had at the time. Xander paced across his office floor. He shook his head. Eight years ago, if someone had told him he’d be one of the leaders of an international organization devoted to fighting evil, he would have laughed. It would have seemed too much like a superhero fantasy even for a comics lover like himself. But then he met Buffy Summers and her Watcher Rupert Giles and his whole world turned upside down. He sighed. Two weeks ago that world had turned inside out. His friend, mentor, and boss, had of course taken it upon himself to examine the artifact first. No matter that he was the current head of the Slayer Council. Giles never could resist a mystery, a bi-product of his being so smart, he supposed. But Xander suspected it was more than curiosity that had led the Watcher to pick up the dagger. He picked it up to protect those that he loved.

If he closed his eye he could still see Giles’ look of incredible pain just before he collapsed to the floor unconscious. Buffy shot across the room in a blur, nearly catching him before he hit the floor. Xander remembered his feeling of utter helplessness. He had only been steps away, but had hardly moved in the brief amount of time that it took Buffy to reach her Watcher’s side. Then he was shoved aside by Willow and her team of witches who set to work furiously trying to determine what spell had been cast. No one dared suggest to Buffy that she move back. The Slayer cradled her Watcher’s head in her lap as her hot tears splashed onto his face.

He was unresponsive for three days. Well, unconscious at least. His body had certainly responded to the magic. It must have been some sort of age regression spell because his body kept getting younger by the hour. When he opened his eyes, the girls practically smothered him with hugs and kisses. Xander chuckled as he recalled the Watcher pleading for oxygen. The girls had backed off slightly, but Buffy and Dawn had refused to leave his side. They watched in awe as his physical appearance changed before their very eyes. Grey hairs turned back to brown, wrinkles and worry lines smoothed, and scars disappeared. A concerned Willow questioned the Watcher while Buffy and Dawn were fixing his dinner. “Giles? Are you in any pain?”

In typical Giles fashion, he tried to deflect her concerns, but Willow wasn’t an innocent teenager anymore and she wasn’t buying it. Guess flaying a man alive gives you some insight on just what might be involved in a spell like this. Giles finally admitted, that it was “a bit uncomfortable,” which on a normal person’s scale of pain would translate to, “oh my fucking god make it stop.” Buffy and Dawn arrived with his dinner but not before Willow gave him her ‘resolve face.’  Tired of laying about, he broke himself out of confinement, something which got him a lecture from just about everyone. That’s when Ripper made his first appearance. Not literally, of course, but Giles did not like feeling helpless and was tired of being treated like an invalid. After a frightening standoff with Buffy, the two reached a compromise. Giles could return to his usual activities as long as he checked in with one of the Scoobies each hour.

There was a quick rap on his office door, followed by the sound of it swinging open. He looked down to see Giles standing in front of him, in full Head of the Council mode. Xander had to hide a grin, because it looked a little silly on the face of an eleven year old. “Hey, Giles.”

“Hello, Xander.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in an achingly familiar echo of his older self. “I need you to do something for me.” It was then that Xander noticed that Giles was holding a large manilla envelope.

“Anything, Giles.”

He was surprised when the Watcher chuckled at that. “I’ll remind you of that promise in a minute.”

“Uh, oh. Maybe, we should call the girls, Willow or Buffy at least.”

“NO!” It was meant  to be said with the gravitas of his position, but it sounded more like a whine from a rebellious teenager. He said more softly, “No. Xander, you’ve turned into a remarkable young man. One that I’ve been very proud to call a friend. I’ve not told you that often enough and for that I’m sorry.”

“Giles?” Xander felt the panic begin to rise. This couldn’t be good.

“I need you to promise me you’ll take care of the girls.”

“NO! Giles, stop it. We’ll beat this. I mean, all the best minds are researching it, including yours.”

Giles reached out with his left hand and then pulled it back when he realized he was too small to comfort Xander with his customary gesture. He shook his head in frustration. “Xander, this is a curse, not a spell. And curses aren’t easily broken. I’m getting younger by the hour and although Willow and Althenea managed to slow its progress some …” He trailed off. No one liked to talk about their own death. “I’ve forgotten two languages, can barely manage Latin and can no longer remember the majority of my Watcher’s training. I’m no longer of any use.”

“That’s not true! So what if you don’t speak and read a gazillion languages anymore. You’re still Giles.”

“That’s the point, Xander. I’m not Giles. I’m Rupert.  An eleven year old boy whose mind was filled with dreams of being a fighter pilot and whose magic is leaking dangerously.”

“Kinda like Harry Potter in the first movie, huh?”

He scowled, but couldn’t deny the truth of the observation. “Quite.”

“So what do we do to keep the magic from leaking?”

“The magic isn’t the largest concern.” He looked at Xander steadily knowing that this was going to put the young man at odds with his friends. But Xander had always been able to make the difficult decisions, even if it had meant pissing off the girls. It was one of the things Giles had come to admire about the young man. “I won’t be a burden.”  
  
“You’re not a burden!”

“I am. And we both know it is only going to get worse. Would you have Buffy and Dawn babysit me? Is it fair to saddle them with the care of a child when they should be out living their lives. You all should.” The last was said with a pointed look directed at Xander.

“What are you saying Giles? It can’t be what I think it is …”

“I’m saying that I’m leaving, Xander. And I need you to keep the girls here. To keep them safe. To let them know it wasn’t their fault and that they should move on with their lives.” The Watcher’s voice cracked and Xander suspected it wasn’t only from the hormones raging through his mentor’s body.

“NO. Giles, don’t ask me this. Don’t. Just don’t.”  He didn’t try to hide the tears that were streaming down his face.

“In this envelope, are my papers. I’ve had my solicitor settle my affairs. There are also letters for the girls, and for you.” He tried to hand Xander the envelope but he slapped it away.

“No, damnit, Giles. Just no.” He turned away.

“I”m sorry, Xander.” Then he was muttering something in Latin. Xander lunged for him, desperate to stop the spell, but he was too late. Apparently, eleven year old Giles still remembered how to cast a sleeping spell.

He awoke to a vigorous shaking from a panicked Slayer. “Xander, it’s about time. What happened? Where’s Giles? We came back and no one had seen him for a few hours.”

He put his hand over hers to stop the room from spinning as she was still shaking him. “Oh god, Buff. I’m sorry. When I wouldn’t take the envelope with his affairs in it, he cast a sleeping spell on me.”

“Why did he want to give you his envelope with all his ex-girlfriends?”

He shot her a puzzled look, but Willow stepped in to save him. “Not those kind of affairs, His will and stuff.”

Buffy and Willow shared a look. Willow nodded reluctantly and Buffy strode out of the room. She returned in a minute with the Slayer Scythe.

“Uh, Buff. I know I screwed up, but we can still find him. Please don’t kill me.” The last was muttered under his breath.

“Kill you?” She looked puzzled for a  moment until she realized what this looked like to Xander. She shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault, Xander. Giles can be very sneaky when he wants to be. Are you ready, Wil?”

Willow nodded and placed the ritual candles in a circle. She and Buffy knelt in the circle and grabbed the Scythe. Willow chanted for a few minutes and then to Xander’s surprise, Buffy joined during the last stanza. There was a loud pop and a badly dressed, middle aged, demon appeared before them.

“Slayer. Look, kid. I know what you’re going to ask and I can’t. Sorry about the Watcher, he’s a good guy, but …” He was cut off by Buffy’s hand around his throat.

“All i want you to do is to take a message to the Powers. They reverse the curse on Giles or we reverse the spell that made all the Slayers.”

“They won’t do it, kid.”

“Oh, and tell them that the spell that Wil came up with, not only does it reverse our little spell, but it destroys the spell that calls a slayer. There will be no more slayers, EVER.”

Whistler paled and nodded, “I’ll tell them.”

“Oh, and Whistler. They have one hour.”

Just when Buffy thought the Powers were going to call her on her ultimatum Whistler popped in with a scuffed up Giles in tow. He now looked about eight and had been fighting. Buffy reached him first, of course, and squeezed him half to death. “Don’t ever do that to me again, Giles,” she scolded as she hugged him even tighter. She kissed his temple and he turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.

“Stand back, Slayer. This is going to hurt him a bit.”

She let him go, but held onto his hand. She glared at Whistler and dared him to say anything. Whistler shrugged and chanted something in an unfamiliar language. Giles doubled over in pain, screaming and Buffy was thrown from him. She tried to go to him, but Willow, Kennedy and Vi held her tight. “Buffy, you can’t touch him right now. It might ruin the spell.”

Buffy nodded but her displeasure was written all over her face. After several minutes, Giles stopped screaming and fell unconscious. Buffy flew at Whistler with murderous intent but he was able to sidestep her attack. “Slayer, he’s fine. He’s sleeping.”

“He’s telling the truth. About the sleeping part anyway.”

“Why is he still little?” She demanded of Whistler.

“Because it would cause him unbearable pain if he had to return to his previous state all at once.” He glanced at her sideways, “Particularly the last few years that he was in Sunnydale.“

“They’re going to spear him again! They can’t! That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“You said you wanted him back the way he was, the Powers are choosing to interpret that literally.”

“No. Damnit! Why would they hurt him like that?”

“To teach you a lesson. Show you your place.” Xander snarled. He glared at Whistler. “Sometimes I wonder if we really are fighting on the side of good. This smacks of something worthy of Angelus. Torturing a man that has dedicated his life to fighting evil and was one of the few members of the old Council to actually give a damn about the Slayer.”

Buffy, meanwhile, had dropped to the floor and was slowly rocking her unconscious Watcher. She placed another kiss to his temple. “I’m so sorry, Giles. I know I’m always saying that, but I’m sorry. I should have taken more time to think. But I’m gonna stay right here. You won’t go through this alone.” She swiped at her tears, but they were replaced by so many more.

“I’ll be right back,” Whistler whispered before leaving. He was going to make his own entreaty to the Powers. This Slayer was one of a kind. A good kid. She shouldn’t have to suffer after all she’d given up already. He stormed into the anteroom and demanded they fix this. He was dumbfounded when they readily agreed.

“Slayer. Don’t cry. The Watcher is going to be fine. I went back and gave the Powers a piece of my mind and they agreed.”

“Agreed to what exactly,” Xander asked warily.

“Agreed that they were not going to re-inflict any of his prior injuries.”

“So, he should be his own age soon.”

“Not exactly. The Powers are still going to enforce the gradual nature of the transformation. They felt that he missed out on a lot of things during his youth. This will be his opportunity to make different choices.”

“Leave us?” Buffy whispered.

“You’re joking, right? Don’t you know by now, how much he adores you lot? Watcher would never leave you.”

“Buffy’s eyes darkened. “He has before.”

Xander headed off her rant by qualifying, “He thought his leaving would make things easier for you. He didn’t think you needed him or wanted him around.”

“I begged him, Xan. Begged him to stay. And all I got was “stand on your own two feet Buffy. Now move aside Buffy, so I can finish stomping all over your heart.”

Whistler cleared his throat, “It wasn’t the Watcher’s fault. The First was influencing all of you. And for what it’s worth, the Pirate is right. Watcher never would have left you if The First hadn’t convinced him that you had a death wish. That with him there, you’d feel that Dawn would be well looked after.”

Buffy took a deep breath and let go of the anger that had festered for going on two years. She brushed a few stray hairs from her Watcher’s forehead. “How long will it take?”

“A month, give or take a few days.” And with that Whistler popped out of the room.

A few days later a breathless Giles burst into Xander’s office and slammed the door shut behind him. The Watcher leaned against the wall, panting heavily. Xander was about to ask him what was wrong when he heard Dawn and Buffy sing out, “C’mon Giles. Don’t be like that. We can’t help it that you’re so cute when you giggle.”

Giles looked up at Xander with puppy dog eyes. “Please, don’t tell them I’m here.”

“Tickling you again, big guy?”

“Half to death,” he shuddered.

Xander smiled. The girls had taken the opportunity to mother the poor Watcher. And at some point they had discovered he was very, very ticklish. He looked about ten and was rather small for his age. But, he was still the Giles that hated to be fussed over. When the girls weren’t busy hugging and cuddling him, they were tickling him. So far Xander had resisted but, he had always loved to tease the Watcher. He could resist no longer.

“So, Giles. That sleeping spell you cast on me the other day, so totally not cool.”

“You didn’t leave me any choice, Xander.”

“Argh, so you are admitting to mutiny, aye Matey?” He took a menacing step towards Giles.

“Xander? What are you doing? Why are you talking like a pirate?” Giles tried to take a step back but he was backed against the door.

“Do ye know the punishment for mutiny?”

“Well, there’s hardly a plank about, unless you plan to toss me out the window.”

“Argh. Impertinent dog. For that, ye shall be punished severely.”  He scooped up Giles and began tickling him mercilessly.

“Xander, stop. Stop.”

“Nay, you must be taught a lesson. Never to be castin’ them bewitchin’ spells on ye friends.” The girls were right, this was fun. And Giles was always way too serious. When Giles tried to crawl away, Xander grabbed him by the legs and wrapped his strong arm around his ankles. He slowly removed a shoe. “So, shall I put ye in the stocks, and let the wenches tickle ye feet?”

“No, Xander, please. Don’t.” The Watcher’s attempts to free himself were fruitless. He giggled helplessly when Xander scratched at his socked foot. He pleaded louder for Xander to stop which caught the attention of the Buffy and Dawn out in the hall.

They burst into the room and grinned evilly. “There you are.”

“So, Giles. Do you promise to behave yourself and mind your elders until the curse wears off?” He punctuated the remark with a quick tickle to hush any protests.

“Yes, Yes. Now stop, damn it!”

Xander chuckled. He may look ten, but he was still Giles. He looked to the girls who had moved closer, fingers outstretched. “And girls, do you promise to give poor Giles a break and not tickle him half mad all the time?”

“What?” The sisters exclaimed.

“Look, guys, I get it. It’s not everyday you get to see Giles like this, but he’s still the head of the Council. The girls need him. They need a Council Head that has their respect.

The girls bowed their heads. “We’re sorry, Giles. We promise not to embarrass you in front of the others. We didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know. I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I’ve been so grouchy. It’s, difficult, for me to depend on others. I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful. And I’m sorry for casting that sleeping spell on you, Xander.”

“Yeah, well. So we’re agreed? A truce while we are at Council headquarters.”

When he received three affirmative nods, he winked at Buffy and Dawn. He knew they’d caught his stipulation about being at headquarters. They only had one more month in which to tease the Watcher.  Time he would be forced to stay with Xander or the girls. They’d be inhuman if they didn’t take at least some advantage.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Genprompt bingo fill: Age Regression


End file.
